The invention relates to a valve gun for a high-pressure cleaner, comprising an inlet channel with an inlet for supplying a pressurized liquid and an outlet channel with an outlet for discharging the liquid, a valve arranged in the flow path between the inlet and the outlet, a triggering member manually movable between a rest position and a release position for opening and closing the valve, a first locking member manually movable between a locking position and an unlocking position for locking the triggering member in the rest position, and a handgrip graspable by the user with his hand to hold the valve gun.
The discharge of liquid which has been pressurized by a high-pressure cleaner can be controlled by such valve guns. A pressure hose, for example, can be connected to an inlet, and a spray lance, for example, can be connected to an outlet. Liquid under high pressure can be supplied to the valve gun via the pressure hose, and the liquid can be directed at an object via the spray lance. The pressure of the liquid may, for example, be more than 100 bar, in particular, more than 200 bar. To control the discharge of the liquid, the user has the possibility of moving a triggering member from a rest position to a release position. The triggering member is mechanically coupled to a valve arranged in the flow path between the inlet and the outlet. In the rest position of the triggering member, the valve is closed, and in the release position of the triggering member, the valve is open. To avoid unintentional actuation of the triggering member, the valve gun has a first locking member which is manually movable between a locking position and an unlocking position. The triggering member can be locked in the rest position by means of the first locking member. For this purpose, the first locking member assumes its locking position. To unlock the triggering member, the first locking member must be transferred to its unlocking position in which it releases the triggering member.
The valve gun has a handgrip which is constructed in the manner of a pistol grip and can be grasped by the user with his hand.
A valve gun of the kind mentioned at the outset is known from the publication DE 38 26 784 A1. In this valve gun, the triggering member is configured in the form of a pivot lever, which is arranged at the front side of the handgrip that faces the outlet and can be gripped by the user with his fingers when grasping the handgrip and pivoted rearwards in the direction facing away from the outlet. Positioned below the pivot lever is a pivotable locking member constructed in the manner of a locking bar which locks the pivot lever in the rest position. To be able to move the pivot lever into its release position, the user must press the locking member with his fingers out of a recess of the pivot lever. This makes handling of the valve gun difficult.
A valve gun in which the triggering member is also constructed in the form of a pivot lever arranged at the front side of the handgrip that faces the outlet of the valve gun is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,389,949 B2. To lock the pivot lever in the rest position, a securing lever is used, which is pivotably mounted on the pivot lever and in a first position protrudes rearwards from the pivot lever in the direction facing away from the outlet. When pivoting the pivot lever from the rest position to the release position, the user must transfer the securing lever against a spring-elastic reset force to an unlocking position in which the securing lever is aligned parallel to the pivot lever. The actuation of the pivot lever occurs against the action of the not inconsiderable reset force of the securing lever. During prolonged operation of the valve gun, this may cause fatigue in the user, who has to pull the pivot lever and the securing lever with his fingers towards the handgrip, and, therefore, makes handling of the valve gun difficult.
The object of the present invention is to further develop a valve gun of the generic kind in such a way that it is easier to handle.